Deep underground, silence reigned.
Then the silence broke.
One cocoon after another split open.
Crack.
Crack.
Crack.
Thousands of White Zetsu clones stepped out into the dim cavern.
Their blank smiles stretched across identical faces.
Rows upon rows of white figures filled the underground chamber until the end could no longer be seen.
It looked less like an army and more like a nightmare.
Black Zetsu stood at the center of the cavern, observing the scene.
For centuries, this force had remained hidden.
Waiting.
Growing.
Preparing.
Most of the shinobi world believed wars were fought by villages and nations.
They had no idea what was lurking beneath their feet.
A force created specifically for the day the Eye of the Moon Plan reached its final stage.
Obito stood nearby, silently watching.
Even he could not deny the scale of it.
The White Zetsu Army numbered in the tens of thousands.
Enough to overwhelm entire countries through sheer attrition.
Enough to plunge the world into chaos.
Yet despite the impressive sight, Obito remained dissatisfied.
His eye narrowed slightly.
"We're still missing the Nine-Tails."
Black Zetsu nodded.
"And the Eight-Tails."
Without the complete set of Tailed Beasts, reviving the Ten-Tails would remain impossible.
That was the greatest obstacle.
And the source of their urgency.
Naruto and Killer B were still alive.
Both protected by powerful allies.
Both becoming stronger every day.
The longer they waited, the worse their chances became.
Obito stared at the endless ranks of White Zetsu.
Then he spoke.
"We move soon."
Black Zetsu smiled.
At last.
Meanwhile, in Konoha.
The atmosphere had become noticeably busier.
Although ordinary civilians remained unaware, the village leadership had already begun preparing for conflict.
Anbu patrols increased.
Border surveillance intensified.
Intelligence divisions worked around the clock.
Even the training grounds were more crowded than usual.
Naruto stood in the center of one such field.
Across from him stood Sasuke.
The two rivals stared at one another.
Neither smiled.
Neither spoke.
The air between them crackled with anticipation.
Several spectators had gathered nearby.
Hinata.
Konan.
Nagato.
Kakashi.
Even Jiraiya had shown up.
"Who do you think wins?" Jiraiya asked.
Nagato folded his arms.
"Depends."
"On what?"
"Whether Naruto is taking it seriously."
Jiraiya laughed.
Fair enough.
"Ready?"
Naruto asked.
Sasuke's Sharingan spun slowly.
"Stop talking."
Naruto grinned.
"That's a yes."
The next instant—
Boom!
The ground exploded beneath their feet.
Both vanished simultaneously.
A violent shockwave erupted in the center of the field.
Fists collided.
Golden chakra met crackling lightning.
The impact shattered the earth.
Before the dust could settle, Sasuke's knee drove upward.
Naruto twisted aside.
A chakra arm intercepted the strike.
Sasuke immediately followed with a spinning kick.
Naruto blocked.
The exchange happened so quickly that most spectators could barely follow it.
Only the strongest present could keep up.
Kakashi sighed.
"They're ridiculous."
Jiraiya nodded.
"Absolutely ridiculous."
Sasuke suddenly leaped backward.
Lightning gathered in his palm.
The familiar chirping cry filled the battlefield.
Chidori.
At nearly the same moment, a spinning sphere formed in Naruto's hand.
Rasengan.
The two techniques surged forward.
Boom!
The collision exploded like thunder.
A column of energy shot into the sky.
The shockwave flattened nearby trees.
Several spectators instinctively shielded their faces.
When the dust cleared, both combatants stood exactly where they had started.
Neither had gained an advantage.
Naruto laughed.
"You're stronger."
Sasuke smirked.
"So are you."
For once, there was no hostility between them.
Only mutual respect.
Nagato watched quietly.
Years ago, this kind of strength would have seemed impossible.
Now he was witnessing an entirely new generation surpassing the old.
Hashirama.
Madara.
The legendary figures of the past.
Soon, Naruto and Sasuke would stand among them.
Perhaps above them.
The thought was strangely comforting.
That evening, a hawk arrived in Konoha.
The messenger landed directly at the Hokage Tower.
Within minutes, Tsunade was reading the message.
Her expression darkened.
Shizune noticed immediately.
"What happened?"
Tsunade handed over the report.
Shizune's eyes widened.
"Another attack?"
Tsunade nodded.
A remote outpost near the border had vanished.
Not destroyed.
Vanished.
The survivors described strange white creatures emerging from the ground.
White creatures.
The room fell silent.
Everyone knew exactly what that meant.
White Zetsu.
The enemy had begun moving.
Several hours later, an emergency meeting was held.
Naruto arrived to find Tsunade, Jiraiya, Kakashi, Nagato, and several senior shinobi already present.
The atmosphere was grim.
Tsunade placed the report on the table.
"The first strike has happened."
Nobody looked surprised.
Only concerned.
Naruto skimmed through the information.
Then his expression became serious.
"This isn't a raid."
"No."
Nagato agreed.
"It's a test."
The enemy wasn't trying to win.
They were measuring responses.
Testing reaction times.
Gathering intelligence.
Preparing for something larger.
Much larger.
Naruto slowly placed the report down.
"They're almost ready."
The room fell silent.
Everyone understood who "they" referred to.
Obito.
Black Zetsu.
The hidden forces gathering in the darkness.
The war that everyone hoped could be avoided was rapidly approaching.
And this time, it would engulf the entire shinobi world.
Outside the Hokage Tower, clouds gathered overhead.
A distant rumble of thunder echoed across the sky.
The first storm winds had arrived.
-----------------------------------------
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